Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the 5G telephony services that promise to provide ultra-high-speed internet on mobile phones.
In the first phase, 13 cities will get 5G services.
These are Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune.
India’s No. 2 operator Bharti Airtel rolled out services in eight cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi and Bengaluru.
Reliance Jio, the country’s top operator with most subscribers, will launch 5G services in four metros later this month.
Vodafone Idea, the third operator, has so far not indicated any timeline for the rollout.
PM Modi pointed out how India was dependent on other countries for 2G, 3G and 4G technologies. “But with 5G, India has made history.
Focusing on Digital India, the PM said the initiative was founded on four pillars — the cost of devices, digital connectivity, data cost and the digital-first approach.